19 students from nine leading universities in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Kazakhstan attended intensive Greek language courses for a month. These are the scholars of the “Iason” Program of AUTH, which completed 30 years of courses this year.

The excellent students from the universities of the Parex region attended intensive distance learning courses of the Greek language at the School of Modern Greek (SNEG) of the AUTH, as part of the program, from June 24 to July 23, 2024, while at the same time, they got to know the Greek culture, as the integrated course of SNEG, in addition to language courses, included academic lectures, virtual visits to museums and archaeological sites in Thessaloniki and the rest of Macedonia.

In an inter-process meeting they had with the rector of AUTH and scientific manager of the “Iason” program, Charalambos Feidas, they presented, speaking in Greek, the university institutions from which they come and expressed their satisfaction for the valuable experience they gained.

“Today, AUTH supports Greek studies in 16 Universities of the Perixine Region. Alongside the establishment or strengthening of Departments of Greek Studies, the AUTH contributes to the establishment or enrichment of Libraries of Modern Greek Literature and Greek Studies, provides a network of scholarships for teachers and students, conducts educational seminars, translation workshops and provides logistical support, adapted to its characteristics of each Department”, said Mr. Feidas.

“I feel a special emotion that today “IASON” turns 30 years old. In 1994, two enlightened professors of AUTH, Yiannis Kazazis and Artemis Xanthopoulou-Kyriakou, envisioned, planned and started implementing their vision which they named “IASON”. The choice of the name is anything but accidental, as in this way they thought of returning “the golden fleece” – in the form of the Greek language, to the ancient cradle of Greek civilization, the Black Sea”, noted the head of the “IASON” Program, Dr. . Dimitris Fotiadis,

To date, the “Iason” Program has offered the opportunity to learn the Greek language to more than 1,035 students, from 16 Universities in the Perixinian Zone countries.